A man will serve more than six years in prison for the kidnapping of a trucker who was able to escape the situation when the man dozed off. 

The incident happened on January 13th, 2023. The man, Barry Perez, was sentenced on June 20th, 2025. 

According to the United States Attorney’s Office, Perez initially stole a box truck in Lebanon, New Hampshire early on January 13th, 2023. He drove the stolen truck along I-89 into Vermont while under the influence of drugs until he eventually crashed the box truck near Exit 1. A truck driver soon stopped to try to help Perez, but Perez turned on the trucker and wielded a pellet gun that appeared to be a handgun. 

Perez threatened the trucker with the weapon and forced him to drive him north on I-89. The truck driver continued until Perez eventually dozed off. The driver was then able to pull over and exit the truck to escape the situation. 

Perez engaged in a standoff with police, but was eventually taken into custody. The court has since sentenced Perez to 78 months in prison with 5 years of supervised release. He has also been ordered to pay $44,626 in restitution and was not credited for the time spent imprisoned awaiting sentencing.